Guild Wars 2: Path of Fire holding free preview weekend
Venture into the Crystal Desert
With Guild Wars 2 [official site] venturing off to new lands (well, old - from the first game) in its Path of Fire expansion next month, developers ArenaNet are inviting all and sundry in for a cheeky peek this weekend. All and sundry are invited to visit the Crystal Desert in a "preview weekend" starting on Friday, no pre-order or purchase necessary. The Crystal Desert was one of my favourite places in the first Guild Wars so I'm quite keen to explore it in full GW2 pretty-o-vision.
The preview will begin this Friday, August 11th, then end on Sunday the 13th. If you're not already Warring, you'll want to download Guild Wars 2 in advance.
What's in the preview weekend? ArenaNet explain:
"You'll be able to play the first part of the Guild Wars 2: Path of Fire story, which will kick off your journey to the Crystal Desert. Once you arrive, the Amnoon Oasis map is yours to explore. Take in the sights, unlock the raptor mount, and have fun with other players!"
Ooh the Amnoon Oasis I remember had lovely tattered windmills, and lots of big things constructed in the Crystal Desert style of scrappy driftwood and scrub thrown together. GW2 is set almost two hundred years after the first, so fingers crossed time has changed the Desert in interesting ways. I'm noticing now that whenever I talk about Guild Wars I start going on about deserted buildings and ruined sculptures. I'm really into vast scale and loneliness in games, I guess.
ArenaNet further note, "On August 18 through August 20, you'll be able to experience the new elite specializations for the first time in PvP and WvW."
Along with new quests and stories going through the lands of Elona and the Crystal Desert, the expansion will bring new specialisations for each class and mounts.
Guild Wars 2: Path of Fire is due to launch on September 22nd, priced at £25.99.